Unlucky Days
by Rinikii
Summary: Some days, luck can turn to your side... But what happens when it's been against you all your life... [OneShot]


**Disclaimer **: I do not own Ragnarok Online, 'cause I don't think I want to stay online for so many hours just to stare at people walk by and ask me questions... (No offense to all GM's)

**A/N **: Yes, motivation has struck me once again, after hibernating for so long... I'm still hounding for a plot, but this one came to me when I was reading some other fic from another game... Don't go wondering I stole the plot, 'cause I didn't... Anyway, I just decided to do this last minute, after so many nights staying up till 6:00 a.m, the light bulb in my head just sparked itself alive... Yeah, so, here's the next fic I have, it's predictable, kinda... But I decided to add like, romance to it, after quite a while after my "Reunited", where I swore never to use physical contact in any of my stories... Oh, well, I decided it won't hurt to try again... Anyway, this piece is dedicated to _Mersea_, and _TenshiNoAkuma _(yes, I know it's odd to have flashbacks in the middle of a battle, but that's how I waste space) to show them that I won't use flashbacks and fast-forwards this time. On with the story, and enjoy!

**A/N II **: This is inspired by my previous fic, "Knight In Shining Armor" as well, but it's not the same, don't worry... But I think this time, it will be a more of a sappy fic. I'm not really in the mood for tragedy right now... So, this goes out to my friend who was dying to read some romance here. (June, that's you!)

* * *

**Unlucky Days**

_When I was young, I used to think my life was unlucky. Heck, almost everyday of my life included accidents! Even so, I never believed in luck. It's just hard for me to relate to how luck affects anyone's life. Since I was young, luck was never on my side, and that's when I stopped believing in it. _

_-_

It took me a while to register where I was when I opened my eyes. I looked at the clock next to my bed. It was only 7:30 in the morning! I buried my head under the comfort of my pillows once again. The curtains were closed, thankfully blocking out the sun that threatened to shine into my room and cast away all the shadows. Don't get me wrong, I love the sun, but in the morning, it can be a pain in the ass, when not careful. Just then, there was a knock at my door. I groaned and turned over the other side. Still, the knocking didn't cease.

"El, open up," it was my mother. No reply. A few minutes passed by, and I assume she'd gone back to wherever she came from. I was proven wrong. "El'nor Tinuviel! Open this door now or you are grounded for a week, young lady!"

I groaned again and got off my bed. I opened the door to reveal a rather angry mother on the other side. "Yes, and how may I help you on this wonderful morning which I am about to dread for the rest of the week?"

"Well, your father and I are going out for quite a while, so I just wanted to tell you to make sure the house is neat and tidy," she said, and left to go back to her room. My jaw dropped. What did she just say? I ran a hand through my long, auburn hair before chasing after her, crossing the main hall to the other side. Damn this mansion, you had to run all the way to the other wing just to get to your parents' room. Why did we need such a big mansion anyway? My mother got a head-start, so no excuse as to why she got there before I did. When I reached the room, she stood over a suitcase and dumped layer after layer after layer of folded clothing in it.

"Where _exactly _are you going, and _when_ are you coming back?" I asked, throwing my hands into the air for added emphasis. "And _why_ didn't I know about this? And _how _am I going to survive without you two here? And _what _are you going to do there? And other than the two of you, _who_ else is going? Am I going to die here alone?" Call me spoilt, but trust me with the house alone. It won't be there by tomorrow. I buried my face in my hands and feigned a sniff.

"Don't act so dramatic!" she implied, still bent over the suitcase. "We'll be going to Al De Baran for a month, you didn't know because we didn't tell you, and for goodness sake's, El'nor, you're_ nineteen_ and you're a _Sage_! You know how to take care of yourself. It's a business trip, and we're going with the boys' parents next door. What was his name again? Ah, never mind about that." She said all that without looking at me.

"For goodness sake's, mother, that _boy's _name is Erique, and he's _twenty_!" I shot at her. "And besides, he's such a bore, from what I remember. Mandy's away for a month. She's going to Comodo with her family for a holiday!" Mandy was my childhood friend since... Since forever! And she just leaves me for a month for a holiday!

"When is she leaving?" my mother turned to ask.

"She left yesterday," I sighed. "That's why I won't be able to do anything this whole month."

"Then get to know that Erique boy, he seems quite nice," she said once more. "At least that will give you something to do."

"Mom, I can't do that!" I retorted. "The last time I _tried_ to talk to him was... Was... Gah, I don't know! But he's difficult to talk to, that much I know!" It wasn't true. In fact, Erique has been my best friend for years now, next to Mandy, of course. I just didn't want to admit I was actually close to the neighbour's boy. Great, she's starting to rub off on me, calling him boy and all. From there, I remembered once, when Mandy came over to my house, she started squealing about a cute boy next door. I sweatdropped at that, but as much as I hated to admit, I thought Erique _was _ kind of good-looking. Hey, don't go getting any funny ideas!

"Whatever," she said, clicking her suitcase shut. "I'll be back in a month. Take care of yourself _and _ the house, and please don't wear Agatha out by asking her to do the simplest of chores for you." And with that, she hurried outside to the carriage that was waiting for her. I followed after her, taking big steps to catch up with her quick ones. What can I say, she was an assassin, and assassins are quick! She tossed her luggage to the man at the foot of the marble stairs of the foyer. She quickly kissed my cheek and I returned the gesture before she hopped into the carriage. She waved at me before they took off to meet my father at the port. Yes, they were going to sail to Al De Baran. Stupid people, we have Kafra's for that.

I turned my head to the neighbours, seeing that they also were shoving suitcase after suitcase out their door. I watched as they waved back to their son, Erique. He had messy, black hair and thick bangs covered his eyes. He was a powerful wizard, but he was somewhat anti-social. Well, to me he wasn't. I was snapped out of my reverie when I felt a pair of eyes on me. I turned again to see Erique staring at me, or rather, my choice of clothing. I was still in my sleep wear, an oversized shirt and shorts, and my hair was in a disheveled state. The moment our eyes met, he quickly averted his eyes from me while I turned a million shades of red. I quickly ran into the house to make my appearance more decent.

I ran to my room, quickly changing into a comfortable pair of black pants and a long-sleeved shirt. I brushed my hair, furiously trying to get rid of all the knots. Today was a day I didn't want to wear my Sage's outfit. I found it too revealing, since today the market was filled with people. That made it even easier for people to rob me. Rolling up my sleeves, I grabbed my Bone Wand and inserted a small dagger in my boot, in case of emergencies. Seeing as both of our parents had gone, I skipped over to Erique's house.

I rang the bell to his door, and a booming bell toll rang through my ears. It was _very _loud. In a second, the double doors opened slightly to see one of the servants peeping out timidly. I flashed a smile at her.

"Hi, Martha, is Erique in?" I asked, tilting my head in a cute manner.

"H-He's right upstairs, m-ma'am," she stuttered. What was she scared of? With that, she stepped aside and let me through.

"Thanks, and please, Martha, how many times do I have to tell you, call me 'El'!" I laughed.

"Y-Yes, ma'am... I mean, El..." she smiled timidly. I laughed again and gave her a small hug. She was so scared of everything.

I climbed up the stairs and headed toward Erique's room. I opened the door to find him snuggled under the covers and pillows. He must've been forced awake this morning as well. Seeing as there was no harm, I stepped lightly into the room, closing the door behind me. I scanned his room. It was as usual, his books were neatly stacked up against the bookshelf and his study table was neatly arranged. Not a single scrap of paper was out of place. I was surprised at how neat a guy could get. I ran a hand across his study table. Impressive, not even a speck of dust. When I stopped examining his room, I plopped down on his king-sized bed, slightly stirring the figure under the comforter. He still had that little pink Poring-shaped pillow I gave him for his birthday two years ago. I thought he had thrown it out or something, seeing his embarrassment when I gave it to him. He also had stuffed dolls lined up on the shelf beside his bed. So he did have a soft side and collected these things.

He turned to look at me before burying himself under the pillows again. I heard a slightly muffled "Hey" from under the pillows. Waking Erique up was a very tedious task, but I did this almost every weekend. Without hesitation, I practically jumped on him, or rather his arm. He shot awake before lying back down, back turned to face me.

"Morning, sleepy head! Time to wake up!" I half-screamed in a joyful tone.

"What time is it?" I heard another muffled reply.

"It's eight," I replied, looking at the alarm clock next to me on his bedside table, the one decorated with stuffed dolls. I turned back to him. He looked behind, up at me, for a second before turning over and throwing an arm around my waist. Intentional or not, I chose to ignore it.

"Too early... Go back to sleep..." Another muffled reply.

"Oh, c'mon!" I whined, sounding like a five-year-old child. "You promised you'd take me shopping in Prontera square today! They've got the best bargains and everything!" Then, an idea struck me. "C'mon, Ric, I know you're dying to get your hands on that book you've been eyeing for so long. I heard they're selling it cheaper than usual today!" Ric was my shorter name for him. He didn't seem to mind it, though I'm not sure if he liked it or not. My little idea didn't seem to turn out so well. He still slept on, as if he didn't acknowledge what I just said. For the second time that morning, I was proven wrong. He didn't budge.

"Book can wait... Sleep... More important..." he groaned as he snuggled closer to feel warmth. He was like this every time I came over to wake him up. He always managed to get a few more minutes of sleep. "Ten more minutes... Then we'll go..."

I huffed in annoyance. Ten minutes always meant ten _hours_ to him. No matter how studious he was when he was younger, he could be such a Savage when it came to sleep. I fluffed the pillow behind me so I could sit up straighter without hurting my back. However, the heavy arm around my waist was restricting my movements to the minimum. I decided not to move it, since he felt more comfortable that way. Two minutes later, a light snoring could be heard. He had fallen asleep again. Great, seven more minutes to go. Seven minutes passed with just light breathing and snuggling closer. Too close for that manner. I gently pushed him so that he faced upwards. However, detecting the sudden disappearance of heat, he rolled back onto his side, draping his arm around my waist again. I looked at the clock again. 8:15 now.

"Alright, mister, time to wake up!" I nudged his shoulder with my arm. It only resulted in a groan and him pulling me closer. I whacked his arm playfully and giggled. It was a little ticklish, and who can't stand laughing. If you can't, I'm sorry to hear that. I started to get annoyed again. "Ric! Get up! You said ten minutes, and your ten minutes are up! C'mon, we're _really _gonna miss the good bargains! It's always in the morning that those suckers sell it cheap!" No reply. "Erique!" Still no reply. "Erique Kirana Kaa'rlgard!" _Still _no reply. I had no choice. I did what I had to do. I shoved him off the edge of the bed. He groaned as he landed on the floor, pulling the comforter and a few pillows with him. I leaned over the edge of the bed, laughing and giggling.

"Ha ha ha..." he mumbled before grabbing my wrists and pulling me down on top of him. I squealed lightly as I felt myself slip from the side and straight into a pile of pillows and a pair of awaiting arms. I scoffed mentally at the lame pun. I pushed myself of the floor, but not before throwing a pillow at his face. For some reason, which I don't know, I quickly gave him a peck on the cheek just to wake him up from his reverie of sleep, before running out of the room, pausing to say, "I'll be waiting outside, hurry up."

I don't know what happened after that, but I didn't want to know either. All I know is I rushed out of the room down the stairs, almost tripping myself in the process. The maids around me who were busy without their jobs, all stopped to look at me. I grinned sheepishly at them and gave a little wave before running out the door. I sat at the base of the stairs leading up to the double doors of the house. I watched as all the different jobs pass by. I saw knights, merchants, swordsmen, alchemists, the occasional Assassin of the Cross, almost all the jobs. I even saw little kids running around enjoying themselves. It brought me back to times when Mandy and I were younger, when we used to do all sorts of stuff together. Don't get me wrong, we still do, but not as much.

I sighed to myself as the little kids ran by all waving to me. I smiled and waved back as I heard them giggling and pointing at me. One of the little boys in their group came up to me hands behind his back. He looked about four or five years old, yet so did all his friends outside, all too young to be novices. He turned and look back at his friends before handing me a flower. Meanal, the flower-girl, must have given it to them. She was an awfully sweet girl, and she loved kids, so I guessed why she gave it to them. He pressed it into my palm and grinned. I smiled back at him and gave him a little kiss on the cheek. He turned bright red and shuffled his feet on the floor. Just then, he spoke.

"M-My name's D-Daniel," he said shyly, extending his hand. "W-Who are yoo?"

"I'm El," I replied shaking his hand that was trembling ever so slightly. "How old are you?"

"I'm five," he replied, gaining more confidence as he spoke. "What 'bout yoo?"

"Me? I'm nineteen," I said petting his head again. "Go on, your friends are waiting for you." I gestured to the kids standing across the road. He nodded and waddled off to join them. _So cute_, I thought. Another voice broke me out of my reverie.

"How come I don't get a kiss when I give you stuff?" a deep voice asked. I turned around to see Erique fully dressed leaning against a pillar. I rolled my eyes at the comment as he sat next to me.

"Erique, you're twenty, that kid's only five," I retorted. "He's young and needs love." I batted my eyelashes sarcastically, proving my point. "And besides, I gave you one this morning!" But he didn't play along.

"So what? When I was five, I didn't get that sort of treatment," he pouted. "My parents were always away."

"Aww," I drawled on sarcastically. "Welcome to the club. So, are we gonna go now or do I have to wait till tomorrow?"

"We can wait till tomorrow, I don't mind."

"No! We are going now! A promise is a promise! _You _promised! You big fat liar! You said you'd go with me today!"

"You practically twisted my arm to get me to go!"

"I did not! You were the one who brought the subject up the other day, so I thought about it and you said you'd try and come!"

"I said I'd try and come, but you were the one who had to drag me along."

"Oh, alright! Whatever! Now come on, let's go already! By the time we're done it would've been noon," I stood up, straightening my clothes. I stalked off, but turned back to find that Erique wasn't following. "_Erique!_"

"FIne, fine, fine," he snapped. "Just help me up!"

"You big baby," I muttered, pulling him up. "Alright, let's go, can we? Please? Do I have to beg?"

"Alright, let's just go, if it'll shut you up," he sighed. I mentally rejoiced. Grabbing my wrist, he stalked off toward Prontera square. By then, the square was filled with people.

"There, you happy?" I cried. "Now the place is packed and it'll take me ages before I can get to even _see _what there is."

"Well, whaddya know. You _were_ right!" Erique exclaimed, walking toward the stand where they sold books. "There _is _a discount on that book I've been looking for."

I rolled my eyes at him before following him to the store which barely had people. Suddenly, I felt a heavy hand clamp over my mouth, muffling my screams. Another arm grabbed me around my waist and hoisted me off the ground. I felt myself carried to an empty alley, kicking and struggling. I felt my Bone Wand snatched from me when I heard one of my straps on my belt snap. Darn, there goes a thousand zeny. I mentally slapped myself. Now wasn't the time to think about how much I would spend on repair of clothes. I shifted my mind to my current situation. However, I heard someone in the distant calling my name. _Erique_, my mind screeched. _I'm here! Help!_

I was currently backed up against the wall, hand still clamped against my mouth. I turned to see who had "assaulted" me. It was a rogue. But he wasn't alone. A few more rogues came out from the shadows. I reached for the knife in my boot but one of them grabbed my wrist before I could grab at the handle. I felt a dagger at my throat instead. The cold feel of metal was taunting at my neck. I wanted to scream, but the hand against my mouth prevented me from doing so. And being held at knife point didn't exactly help either. I could feel tears pouring out of my eyes at this point. I was too young to die! I panicked, actually forgetting that I was a sage. I had no means of escape. I felt another snap on my belt. They took my zeny pouch. Luckily it didn't contain too much.

I felt the knife against my throat press harder. A felt a sharp pain as the little cut leaked a bit of blood.

"So," one of the rogues managed to say after a while. It was the one who held me at knife point. "Wha' we gonna do wi' this one, boss?"

"How dense can you get, Kienal!" one of the rogues in the background groaned.

"Wha'?" Kienal, the supposed rogue holding me against the wall. "I'm still new 'ere!"

"This is what we do, Kienal," their boss, judging from his authoritive voice, said. "We'll take her back to the hideout, and then we'll have some fun with her. Then when we're done with her, we'll kill her and throw her corpse off the Mjolnir mountains. Noone will look for her there."

"Wha' we gonna do wi' the money then?" he asked again.

My mind raced at the thought. They were going to do something to me, then kill me and throw me off the mountain cliffs for wolves to feed off me! More tears poured down my face as I thought of my 'fate'.

"We'll find something on the way back," he snapped. "Now, tie her up so we can head home. I wanna get this over with A.S.A.P."

"Oh, I don't think you'll do such thing," a voice behind them said. It sounded awfully familiar. _Erique! _my mind screamed once more. I felt relief wash over me like a tidal wave. _I'm saved! _My heart jumped for joy. However, it didn't last long. Kienal grabbed me and jumped up to the roof, so he could watch the battle that was about to take place below. Erique was outnumbered, from something like ten to one. I didn't think he'd stand a chance. Yet, I underestimated him.

The attackers surrounded him, making sure he couldn't escape. The alley was dark, an advantage to the rogues. Still, he didn't cower in fear like they'd expected him to. They started taunting him, from all the voices and laughs I could hear from the roof. However, Erique didn't even _flinch_! Instead, he just flung his cloak aside. He just _had _ to wear his uniform today despite the heat.

I admired his calmness despite his situation. Kienal still had the knife at my throat, and was struggling to keep me still. I tried hard to yank his hand away from my mouth. "Erique!" I screamed before KIenal managed to clamp his hand on my mouth again. He glanced upwards at me, narrowing his eyes. Kienal pressed the knife harder down on my neck to keep me still. I couldn't stand it anymore.

I thought of a plan quickly. Erique needed a distraction so he could conjure up a spell in time. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins as I elbowed the rogue in the stomach. He released his grip on me slightly and staggered a few steps back. Unfortunately, my actions caused his dagger to graze my shoulder, leaving a tear in my shirt and a cut from my shoulder to my forearm. I winced inwardly but decided it wasn't the time to complain. Without wasting any time, I grabbed his arm that was still over my shoulder and threw him off the edge. Pain shot up my left arm again. He fell off the roof and landed in a pile of rubbish bags just outside the little ring the rogues formed around Erique.

All of them turned to face Kienal, who gave a sheepish grin. I started to climb over the edge, but the look Erique gave me warned me to stay back. Reluctantly, I took a step back and leaned myself on the edge, looking down to the fight. My fists clenched helplessly as I glanced down. The slight distraction gave Erique enough time to conjure up a spell. Meteors rained from the sky surrounding the area around Erique. The rogues around him were stunned. Some of them were knocked down, sending them sprawling, unconscious on the ground.

The rest who were still standing decided to change their strategy. In the blink of an eye, a few of them disappeared, while those who were still visible lunged at him. Erique conjured up a Fire Wall, sending the few stumbling backwards, preventing themselves from being scorched by the flames. A few of them who had been burned sat at the side, wincing and grunting in pain. Hah, serve them right! I was about to cheer on for Erique, but decided against it when I saw him concentrating on another spell.

He quickly casted Sightrasher and revealed a few rogues not too far from his left and right. Those who managed to back away in time from the fireballs continued forward, brandishing their daggers at him, swiping furiously as they got closer. Erique jumped backward, just missing a swipe that was dangerously close to his face. He countered with a punch in the rogue's stomach which sent him reeling backward, into the pile of bodies on the floor. I counted five more, excluding their leader who was just standing and watching the fight. He noticed me leaning over the edge and he disappeared suddenly. I had no idea where he went.

I didn't really care, as a flash of green caught my attention. He had cast Quagmire to slow them down. With that, he quickly cast Heaven Drive. Multiple spikes protruded from the ground, sending the rogues flying everywhere, joining the rest of the pile. I was silently cheering from the roof, but the thought of the disappearing leader still disturbed me. I gasped and screamed as I felt a hand clap around me throat, lifting me off the ground and at the same time, holding me past the edge of the roof. To add on to my current position, he had a sword pressed to my neck. I struggled and gasped for air as his grip around my throat tightened.

"One move and your little girlfriend gets it!" he snarled at Erique. I could feel tears running down my face once again. The cut in my left arm was hurting more as I struggled to wrench the arm away from my neck. My vision was starting to blur and my breathing was becoming shallow. I stopped struggling as my grip on his arm loosened. I took in gulps of air, but unsuccessfully tried to regulate my breathing. I provoked my will power and kicked him in the groin. Immediately, he released me and let me fall from an incredible height. Only this time, there were no rubbish bags to cushion my fall. Instead, I saw old rusty spears leaning against a few crates, all of them still sharp and pointing dangerously upwards.

My life flashed before my very eyes. My imagination ran wild as I thought of what will happen when and if I died. I never got to tell my friends and family how much I appreciated them, and all that jazz. I felt my body go stiff and braced myself for the painful end of my life. I surprised myself once more as I felt myself being caught in a pair of arms. I felt dizzy for a second before trying to focus my vision on my saviour. But my mind wouldn't cooperate with me as my vision blurred to black, due to the lack of oxygen and I passed out.

-

I blinked twice before cursing at the sunlight that was streaming through my window. I was back home, in my room, in my bed. My left arm was bandaged from my shoulder to my elbow. Also, there was a plaster on my neck. I tried moving my arm but inhaled sharply and moaned as pain shot up my shoulder again. I still hadn't recovered fully yet. Well, d-uh, I just got attacked yesterday and I haven't woken up since. I pushed myself up with my right hand, helping me sit up straight. I turned my head to the right only to find a tousle of jet-black hair. A wizard's cloak was draped over the back of the chair that belonged to my study table. The chair was positioned next to my bed, but the chair was empty.

I glanced around the room. Everything was as it was when I left it was. On my table, however, was a little envelope and a flowers. It had drawings and swirls all over it. On it was written:

_To: El'nor Tinuviel (El)_

_From: Daniel, Esther, Jason, Blake, Rosalie, Amber, Yvonne, Cameron Joshua, Micah, Noah, James and Erique_

I looked at the unfamiliar names. _Must be those other kids yesterday_, I thought. I read every name but stopped at the last one. I chuckled lightly as I opened the envelope. There were a few messages, all signed with their names. However, one message in the corner caught my eye. It read:

_Get well soon, and here's your card. So, where's my kiss? - Erique_

I stared at the statement in shock and embarrassment. Inside, I felt all funny, but outside, my hands were itching to slap his face. I slowly got out from under the covers and immediately missed the warmth. I changed my clothes slowly, to prevent from moving my arm around too much. I stepped out the door, slowly closing it shut. I tread down the staircase lightly into the living room. I was distracted with alot of voices outside in the garden. The doors to the porch were open. I heard playful laughter and screaming. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. I headed out the door only to find a ball whizzing my way. Unable to dodge it, the ball hit me squarely in the stomach, knocking out the wind in my lungs. It sent me sprawling on the ground, luckily landing on my right arm. At least it didn't hurt. I winced. _Now it does_, I thought.

The laughter died down, and I heard multiple gasps and footsteps running into the room. I felt nothing but pain for a moment. When my senses returned, I felt an arm slide around my back pulling me into a sitting position, and another under my knees and lifted me up. I was placed on one of the couches in the room. I winced again, this time, my stomach hurting, _bad_. I clutched my stomach with my right arm, which was now hurting as well. _Lucky me_, my mind mused sarcastically. _I wake up just to get another injury, wow!_ Just then I heard little squeaks and voices.

"Oh, no, I'm so sowie, El. Did I huwt yoo?"

"Oh, are yoo okay?"

"Do yoo need to see a pwiest?"

"Is it painfwul?"

"El, are yoo alwight?"

I cracked a smile at the concern in all the kids' voices. All of them seemed so innocent and panicked as though they'd jus killed me. I managed out a sentence.

"I'm alright," I grunted. "I'll live."

I heard most of the kids sigh in relief. Just then, Agatha, my personal servant who was also an alchemist who brewed all the special medicines for the family, entered the room to see all the kids huddled over me. She was shocked.

"Miss El'nor! What are you doing here?" she asked. "You should be upstairs in your room resting. Oh, my, what happened now? Children, what did you do!"

"Calm down, Agatha," I sighed. "I came down on my own will, and when I heard laughter I came to investigate, and unbeknownst to me, a ball came hurtling at me. I didn't notice it until it hit me in the stomach." I cut her off when she tried to protest. "I'm fine, Agatha. It doesn't hurt anymore. See? I can stand."

I stood up, but pain shot up my body and I fell back down again. "Okay," I groaned. "Maybe it _does _hurt a little... But it's nothing I can handle..." I felt my right shoulder being pushed down onto the couch. I groaned again, feeling the pressure on my right arm increase.

"Stay still, El," I heard Erique say. "Unless you want me to knock you out so you'll stay unconscious!" The kids around me giggled for a while until little Daniel spoke up.

"Nooo, mister Ewique! Don't huwt her!"

He laughed at that statement. Just then, Agatha coughed to gain our attention.

"Anyway, children, there are some freshly baked cookies and milk in the kitchen. I'll see to it that you are attended to in a while," she said, as all the kids ran to the kitchen, shouting for joy. "You're welcome to join us, Mr. Kaa'rlgard. But I'm sure you wouldn't want to, right?" She winked at him. I stared back at her in horror as she closed the doors to the room, chuckling. The both of us lapsed into silence once more. I shifted my position so I was sitting upright. _Why is it so hard to say a simple thank you! _my mind scolded. _Go on, say it!_

"Umm, thanks," I stuttered. _Great, I'm turning into Martha, _my mind mused sarcastically yet again. I've been doing that quite often these few days.

"Uhh, yeah, no problem," he muttered in reply. "So, how's your arm? And your, uhh, stomach?"

"It's okay, though it still hurts," I replied, uncertainty in my voice. "Both of them, I mean."

"Oh, really... Well, that's good... I mean, bad... I mean... Gah, never mind." I laughed.

"I get what you mean. It's not everyday you get attacked by rogues and get hit by a ball in the stomach the next day and expect to live without pain."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Another few minutes of silence.

"Umm, you wanna take a walk? Outside, I mean..." _Oh god, why am I so nervous!_

"Yeah, sure."

We wandered into the backyard, where the garden was. It was bright today, and I could hear birds singing. I could also hear the children in the kitchen with lively chatter and laughter. Hey, kids can be loud, y'know!

"So, did you get hit by any of the rogues yesterday?"

"Me? No. I couldn't get hurt. If anything happened to you, I would've killed... I mean, your parents would've killed me, as well as mine."

Then suddenly, without warning, I leaned over and placed a small kiss on his cheek. We stopped walking.

"For saving me yesterday." He smirked.

"What about the card?" he smirked again. "Do I get one for that?"

I dared myself to take a step further. I leaned in once more and gently pressed my lips onto his. At first, there was no reaction, so I pulled back. I was surprised at myself for even thinking of doing that. Then, to my utter shock, he leaned into me again and once more, our lips met. The feeling sent chills down my spine as I slowly closed my eyes. It wasn't exactly heaven, but it wasn't exactly hell either. I felt a pair of strong arms snake around my waist and pull me closer. Unconciously, my arm made their way around his neck as he pulled me closer. I felt blood rush to my cheeks. _Oh, god, I must look like a tomato now! _my mind mused again. At that moment, I thought nothing could stand in the way. But that little moment was interrupted.

I immediately pulled back the moment I heard "eww's" and "yuck's" and the occasional "Gross!" remarks. Apparently, the kids were finished with their little snack. If I wasn't a patient person, I would've toasted the little runts with a fire spell. Anyone of them would do. But I just stood there and smiled.

"Who wants to play tag?" I offered. "He's it." I touched Erique on the shoulder. To my delight, all the kids scrambled away, all running and screaming. It reminded me of Mandy, and when she was coming home, which was still a month away. I looked at Erique running after the kids. Maybe this whole month wasn't such a bore after all.

_Maybe I _am _lucky after all..._

**END**

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A/N **: There! Wow, I finished my story in... Two days! Impressive! I usually take like, months to finish it! Hahaha! That shows how lazy I am! But, oh, well, it's the holidays now! So, I guess I have no excuse! Anyway, I decided to write this for fun, actually... It was just a little nagging at the back of my head telling me to do something productive over the holidays, and what more a better way than to write! Oh well, thanks for reading, guys! And please drop a review! Thanks soooooo much! I love you guys (and girls)!

-Skye Mihalak-


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